19. Lily
Lily
I sag against the doorframe with a groan. “Why me?”
Silvia frowns but before she can say anything, Justin appears from the kitchen.
“Why you, what?” he asks curiously. “Who is it?”
Silvia’s eyes widen, taking in the creased, rumpled state of his clothes and his tousled hair. It only takes a micro-second and then her lips curl into a smug smile. “Oh! I never could have imagined this would turn out so perfectly.”
Justin and I share a look before I lift my eyebrows. “Okay.” She opens her mouth again, but I swing the door shut, slamming it closed right in her face. I don’t move, knowing the bitch won’t get the message that easily and, sure enough, she immediately raps a vicious beat on the wood.
“What the hell’s going on?” Justin asks in bemusement. “Do you know her?”
I tip my chin down. “She’s the spawn of Satan.”
He makes a humming sound. “Always figured the spawn of Satan would be blond.” He turns and heads back to the kitchen. I watch as he stumbles over nothing, almost planting his face into my wall.
I turn back to the door, cracking it open to peek out. “I don’t want what you’re selling,” I inform her haughtily. “Get your cheap butt off my porch.”
“Cheap—” she sucks a breath through her nose, eyes falling shut like she’s trying to find some inner peace.
Good luck with that. I wish her the specific kind of inner peace that means she’ll never find a charged battery when she really needs it.
My amusement must leak through because when she opens her eyes, she quickly steps back, alarm flashing across her face, which only makes my smile widen into a grin.
“Look, Lily,” she begins, her lips curling in a sneer.
“I’ve just come to give you a fair warning.
” I tilt my head, watching her, and she falters at my lack of interest. She recovers, painting a sympathetic mask over her face and tutting her tongue.
“I knew you’d mess up eventually, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon after the wedding. ”
Something about that niggles at my brain, and I frown.
She doesn’t notice, too busy digging through the black purse hanging off her arm, yanking out a handful of crumpled photographs and shoving them in my direction.
I glance down, only mildly surprised to see the top one is of me and Justin in Lolita’s, sitting at the table together, our expressions slack and eyes glazed.
“I’ll be showing these to Declan. You don’t think he’ll want you now, do you? Knowing you’ve been slutting yourself around, finding random hookups. You’re just as bad as—” Her eyes flash as her lips clamp shut.
I shoot her a taunting smile. “Oh, don’t stop there, Silvia. Just as bad as…who?”
Uneasiness edges into her stare, but she jams a pointed nail at the photos.
“You never deserved Declan,” she hisses, letting her smile tip triumphantly.
“But don’t worry. I’ll look after him, as a good friend would.
I’ll offer my shoulder for him, and it won’t take long for him to see what’s always been right in front of him. ”
I stare at her, finding it interesting that she’d need to tell me all this after she sent all those messages when we first got back, making sure I thought she and Dec were already together.
“That you’re a crazy bitch?” I ask. “He already knows that.”
Justin comes back in, two fresh coffees in his hands. He hands me one, checking out the photos in my hand. “Is that…?” Shock widens his eyes. “What in the stalker-y fuck?” He looks up at Silvia, his mouth set grimly.
“It’s okay,” I tell him, dropping the photos to the floor. “Silvia’s just concerned that I brought a random hookup home. She’s off to tell my husband.”
He blinks, pointing a finger at his chest. “Me?” he asks. “I’m the hookup?” I nod. “Huh. Well, guess you got lucky then,” he tells me. “I make a fine-ass hookup. Any lady would be lucky to have me.” He thinks for a second. “Dudes, too.”
“You’re a five-star hookup?”
“Hell yeah. And I’ve got the reviews to prove it.”
Silvia’s stare is bouncing between us, getting wider, but it doesn’t take long before she’s had enough of our banter, interjecting sharply. “I hope you used a condom, because I can’t imagine who else she’s slept with recently.”
“I always use protection,” he says, unconcerned. “Those pictures in sex-ed were horrifying.” Silvia gapes at him and I cover my mouth with my mug, hiding my smile as Justin loses interest and retreats to the couch.
I look back at Silvia. “Did you want something else?”
“Wha—?” She stares at me. “Didn’t you hear what I said?” she demands. “I’m not bluffing. I will tell Declan about this.”
I nod. “Okay.”
“He’s going to divorce you.” Each word is more shrill than the last, and I wince.
“Do you mind?” I ask politely. “The screeching is hurting my ears.”
She splutters, face turning a splotchy red. She flicks a glance down at the photos. “You can keep those. I have copies. Consider them mementos of your whorish ways. After all, they’re all you’ll have left when Declan finally leaves you.”
I give her a pitying smile. “And what? Marries you? He’s known you his entire life, and never once given you a second look. You’re delusional, Silvia.” I let out a soft laugh. “Me, though? He’s about to throw everything away for me.”
She goes eerily still. “What’re you talking about?
He wouldn’t—” An ugly twist to her mouth and then she pushes into my personal space, trying to intimidate me.
I don’t feel anything, though, except a concerning clench of my gut.
“You’re a lying little bitch! He wouldn’t throw a piece of trash out for you! ”
My nose twitches. “Do you want a breath mint? I’d offer you a spare toothbrush, but I wouldn’t want to invite a vampire into my house.”
She lets out a scream of rage, spinning on her heels and clomping off my porch. I watch her go, giving her a cheeky wave. When she peels away with a squeal of her tires, I shut the door and lock it.
I collapse next to Justin, who’s sitting with his head back and arm thrown over his eyes. He groans when my weight jostles him, mumbling, “Way too early for a crazy bitch visit.”
I poke a finger into his side. “Thought you didn’t get hungover,” I tease.
“I don’t,” he returns easily. “I’m just studying my eyelids.”
Thirty minutes later, when Justin’s sure he won’t blow chunks just by moving, he catches a ride home, telling me I need to give him the lowdown on the ‘stalker bitch’ when he’s got more blood than booze in his system.
I seize the opportunity to head back to bed, napping for several hours until I wake up feeling more human.
I’ve just stepped out of the shower and gotten dressed in my comfy clothes, when there’s a brisk knock on the door. I curse grumpily. “Why’s everyone visiting when I feel like death?” I mumble to myself, heading to the door and cracking it open cautiously.
“Oh,” I say, pointing out dumbly. “You’re not Silvia.”
“I should fucking hope not,” Declan’s dark eyes flash down at me, and then he’s gently manhandling me inside so he can step through the door, shutting it behind him. He tugs on a strand of my wet hair. “You still smell like you could be used as an accelerant.”
“It’s seeping out of my pores,” I complain. “I’m not drinking again in a hurry.” I pause, thinking about that. “I’m not drinking with Sasha again in a hurry.”
“You can’t always blame Sasha for overindulging.”
“Yes, I can,” I mumble back. “She’s always there when I do it.”
He smiles indulgently, and my chest aches, the encounter reminding me too much of how things had been before. The smile falls away, his mouth setting firmly.
“Silvia came by,” he states it, like he already knows. She works fast.
“She did.”
He shakes his head, shoulders going tight under his cotton shirt. As the material shifts, there’s a flash of silver and my eyes catch on it, intrigued. He’s not a jewelry guy, except for?—
My stare drops before I can stop myself, locking in on his hand, pain momentarily stealing my breath when I register his bare ring finger.
He doesn’t notice where my attention has drifted, telling me, “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with her brand of bullshit, especially now.”
I shrug it off, because Declan fucked up beyond comprehension,
but controlling Silvia isn’t his responsibility and I won’t blame him for that.
“Seems like she might be spiraling a little,” I say.
He grinds his molars. “She’s always been a few monkeys short of a circus,” he says, the words tripping off his tongue uncomfortably.
I huff in amusement. “That sounds like Darcy.”
“You’d be right.” He looks back at me, remorse pulling his mouth down.
“Nolan and Darcy both read me the riot act. Lily, I wish—” his chin drops to his chest, and he shakes his head.
“When the annulment is final,” he says almost to himself, “that’s when we talk.
” He looks up, a question in his eyes, so I nod.
He rocks back on his heels. “Okay, good. I just… I wanted to come check on you and make sure you were okay, after—” he waves a hand at the door.
“I’m fine, but I’m a little concerned about those.” I point down to the forgotten photos, still lying on the floor. “She’s also been messaging me.”
His eyes flare with alarm. “Did you tell anyone where you were going last night?”
I shake my head. “It was an impulse decision after everything that happened at the lawyers.” I don’t miss his flinch. “I met Sasha there, and Justin turned up later.”
He eyes me carefully. “You trust Justin? ”
The words pour out with little thought. “I trust him more than I trust you.”
“Fucking hell,” he murmurs, touching a hand to his chest. “I deserved that.” He steps over to the photos, bending down and scooping them up, mouth twitching unhappily as he studies them. “Mind if I hold on to these? And the messages…?”
I nod, but then hesitate. “I’ll forward them to you, but then I’m blocking you again.”
“Lily,” he says quietly, “I promise you, I’m not with her and I never have been.” He shudders in revulsion. “I’d rather sleep with a plague-riddled possum.”
I don’t respond, because I’m not sure what I should say. Words are easy, and the trust has been obliterated. His mouth turns down, but he nods.
“The lawyer. Did it go okay? Was everything I sent through enough?”
I frown, questions flying through my head, morbid curiosity pushing at me. “I think so.” He watches me carefully, sensing there’s more. I drag a lungful of air into my chest. “Did you know all of it? When you and your father set this in motion, did you know the entire story of our parents?”